We Knew
by BeckyBelikova9
Summary: Rose and Dimitri visit St. Vladimir's with Lissa and Christian. Kind of a continuation of Secrets, but you don't need to read that first.


"Will you relax?"

"Huh?"

Dimitri looked up from the coffee mug he had been staring into, as though he hoped to drown himself in its depths. It was still as full as it had been, when I'd handed it to him fifteen minutes ago. We were currently sitting in the teachers' lounge at St. Vladimr's Academy, which had been empty since we'd arrived, given that it was halfway through first period, and teachers were either teaching, or still asleep. And Dimitri clearly didn't want to be here. We had only come in, because I had wanted to find someone for old times' sake, and Dimitri had vetoed the guardians' building.

"Everything will be fine," I told him reassuringly, reaching over and squeezing his hand. He cocked an eyebrow in a good impression of confused. I wasn't fooled. Dimitri knew what I was talking about – his obvious dread of The Queen's - Lissa's - annual trip to the academy for November first. Christian, obviously, had come with her, bringing his loyal, and reluctant, guardian along with him. We'd arrived over an hour ago, when most students had been asleep. Kirova had greeted Lissa and her entourage, we walked the moroi to guest housing and been given rooms. Along with the three other Royal Guards on my shift, I'd just been relieved of duty. Dimitri and the other guardians, of course, didn't have to tail their charges while within the wards, but we'd all be on duty that night for the banquet.

"Don't give me the eyebrow," I said, "You know what I mean."

"I'm afraid I don't," Dimitri replied, his face perfectly neutral. His hands tight with nerves around the coffee cup.

"What are they gonna do, lynch you?" I asked. "Crucify you? Quarter you with four wild horses? You have nothing to worry about." He made no answer. I sighed. "You're gonna have see to them eventually. Someone will come in any minute." I nudged him gently.

There was a pause then he said in a rush "I slept with my underage student. If I _only_ get lynched, crucified and quartered, I'll be lucky. And..." Dimitri stopped there.

"And?" I prompted.

"And what if they, what if everyone, they might not understand... – " he trailed off staring back into his untouched coffee. "They might not accept the fact that I'm not strigoi any more," he finished, after a moment. This fear was understandable. He still had to deal with some prejudice at court, mercifully only from snobby royals we didn't want anything to do with anyway. It was rapidly diminishing, thank God, but the I understood being wary of receiving similar treatment from old friends.

"Alberta did," I reminded him gently, "She hugged you, and everything. She said you're welcome here anytime. And she said it was about time we got together, remember? Ring any bells?" I'd known all along that Dimitri had been dreading this trip, but because of how his former colleagues would react about our relationship, or his former-strigoi status, I hadn't known. Turns out, it was both.

"She did," he acknowlegded, nodding. "But not everyone will. Most people won't accept it. That I'm a dhampir again."

"All your old friends at court have, haven't they? And if they don't, well, they'll just have to deal, won't they?"

He sighed, nodded and then said "I still can't believe Alberta knew about us. Or that she didn't report it."

I was about to reply, when the door opened. Yuri, a guardian in his mid-forties, who could put up one hell of a fight, Lulu, a carrot-top, freckly guardian, a year younger than Dimitri, and Stan, my former arch-nemisis, walked in. They had been smiling, and chuckling, at something Yuri had just said, but stopped abruptly at the sight of me and Dimitri. Or maybe just Dimitri. They were staring at him, slightly agape, none of them saying a word.

There was a few uncomfortable moments of silence, before Dimitri rose from his chair and strode around the sofa, plastering a small, nervous smile on his face and holding out his hand to Yuri saying "It's been a long time. It's good to see you all again." Yuri took his hand, but didn't do anything else. He didn't even shake, he just stared at Dimitri, stupefied. Stan wasn't much better, and Lulu's jaw had hit the floor. I rolled my eyes.

"Unbelievable," I said, "Give you guys an _actual_ strigoi, and you'd know what to do. A former strigoi? You couldn't be anymore clueless." Turning to Dimitri, I said "Why can't guardians deal with anything other than strigoi? If I ever get that bad, shoot me." It was blunt, and kinda mean, but hey, it woke them up.

Lulu exclaimed "Hey! _I_ am not that bad. They are." She jerked her thumb towards the guys. Who rolled their eyes, and properly shook Dimitri's hand, Stan muttering "Women". The four of them then sat down, Lulu and Stan still looking like they couldn't believe their eyes. Only Yuri seemed to have gained some composure.

"You know, I heard, but..." Lulu said, looking at Dimitri, "But I'm not sure I truly believed."

"Same here," Stan agreed. "Don't get me wrong," he added hastily, "I was thrilled when Petrov told us all it was absolutely true, that you were back, but..." he trailed off, still looking stupefied.

"I was happier when Alberta told us you two were together," Yuri informed us with a laugh. "It was about damn time. You two were driving us all nuts."

We all turned to him sharply. "You knew?" I asked, "Since when? And who's 'us all'?"

"Since _he_ seemed to only open up to you," he replied, nodding towards Dimitri. "And since he'd only play poker if I let _you_ play as well," he added with a wry smile. "Sorry kid, you were a bit obvious."

"No he wasn't!" Stan said, "I didn't notice a thing!"

"Well, if you think about it..." Lulu said, looking thoughtful.

"Why didn't you report it?" Stan asked Yuri, looking annoyed. I think it was more to do with the fact that Yuri had noticed when Stan hadn't, than the actual relationship going unreported.

"Whilst I am grateful that you didn't," Dimitri said, looking surprised, "I have to wonder at that as well. Why didn't you?"

"Who's 'us all'?" I repeated.

Yuri spoke to Dimitri "Because you cared for her, and sought her company, just for the sake of being in the same room as her, way too often." Turning to me he said "Me and Alberta, obviously, as well as Emil and Ronald. As far as I know."

Realising my mouth was open, I quickly shut it. That many people? Dimitri should be thankful he still has a job.

"As far as you know what?"

Turning, I saw Alberta and Emil come in to the lounge. Well, speak of the devils. "We wanted to see the two of you," Alberta continued, sitting down, and shaking Dimitri's hand and mine. Emil followed suit. "We were told you were in here."

"As far as you know what?" Emil repeated Alberta's question.

"As far as we know," Yuri told them, "Only the three of us, and Ronald, knew about these two's feelings."

"And were being driven insane by their inaction," Emil added.

"You not only knew, but you supported them?" Stan exclaimed.

"Rose and I are together," Dimitri said firmly. "You can't do anything about it now."

"Oh, he doesn't want to do anything," Lulu said with a teasing glance at Stan. "He's just upset that he didn't see it first. Although it is really obvious, now that I think about it."

"Okay, just to clarify," I said quickly, before Stan could retort. "You three knew how we felt?"

"Yup," said Alberta.

"That Dimitri wasn't trying to take advantage of me?"

"Indeed," answered Emil.

"But hadn't acted on those feelings?"

"Affirmative," replied Yuri.

"You three were fully aware, that Dimitri and I had feelings beyond that of friendship, genuine feelings, more than just student-mentor feelings, and that we hadn't acted on them?"

Alberta, Yuri and Emil glanced at each other, smiling slightly, before answering in unison.

"We knew."

"You know, you could have saved us some trouble by saying something!"


End file.
